Global warming they say is due to our carbon emissions, that with the continued release of carbon into the atmosphere it is creating more "covering", which is basically letting the sunshine in but trapping the heat much like what happens on greenhouses.
But did you know that everything that we do, like using a light bulb, contributes to the carbon emission? This is called carbon footprint. It is estimated that an average of approximately 25 tons of CO2 per year in some parts of the world particularly from the industrialized countries is the carbon footprint per person. So what can we do to reduce our carbon footprint?
Electric Power/Energy Consumption
No, your television, laptop and light bulb do not emit carbon when it is turned on but the process of making electricity does. There are several sources of electrical energy like hydro electric power plant (uses water), geothermal power plant (uses the heat from inside the earth), solar panels (converts energy from the sun) and wind power generators (uses the wind to power the generators) to name some. There is also the diesel generators, which uses (well) diesel to power the alternator which is responsible in producing electricity. They are used on places where it is not connected to an electric grid. But they are also used to support the main grid in times where the demand for power is high. The more of these that we use, the more carbon is released into the atmosphere. That is why the more electrical appliances we use, the higher is the demand for electrical power whereby the more of these generators are required to power up the grid.
What we can do
1. Turn off appliances when not in use.
2. Use efficient lighting.
3. Reduce use of air conditioning/heater.
4. Reduce use of water heater. If you really need hot water during bathing you can reduce the setting to use to minimum heat possible this is because yo don't actually need the maximum setting to heat the water you needed for bathing.
Read on 6 Little known facts about electricity usage for additional tips to reduce your power consumption.
Transportation
Cars, buses and other mode of transport uses fuel to run so instead of going from one errand then back to the house then go back for another, why not plan all errands ahead and do it all at once. In this way you can save on fuel going back and forth and in effect lesser carbon emission.
Proper maintenance of your car goes a long way to burning lesser fuel. Example of which is making sure that you have the correct tire pressure. A car with a softer tire requires more energy to move compared to a tire with the correct tire pressure. Same is true with poorly maintained engine.
Recycle
When you segregate your waste to general waste and recyclable materials, you not only help reduce carbon emission but also reduce our use of natural resources because by recycling we can reuse these materials to build the same product or in make it into other form. Recycling also makes use of lesser energy to make the same product than to do it all from its raw form.
These are some ways to reduce our carbon footprint. By doing these, your carbon footprint is estimated to be reduced to about 30%. The best part of these is that it also provides you with some financial reward. By reducing your power consumption, you will also reduce your electricity and gas bill. Reduced fuel consumption also means lesser money goes to gasoline.
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